GOP Representative Mike Collins is mulling a challenge against Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in Georgia, a critical battleground, as polls show the incumbent with an early lead ahead of the 2026 midterms.
A Georgia Democratic Party spokesperson told Newsweek that if Collins decides to run, he would be joining a “crowded, messy primary that will leave the GOP nominee badly bruised.”
Newsweek also reached out to Collins’ office for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Georgia’s Senate race is viewed as one of the potentially most competitive election nexts year and a spot where Republicans can realistically try to flip a seat.
Historically, the party in the White House loses seats during the midterms, but Republicans are hoping to expand their majority by winning Democratic-held seats in states carried by President Donald Trump last November, which includes Georgia.
Democrats, meanwhile, are hoping to close the gap or even flip the Senate majority despite facing a challenging map. In addition to holding seats like Georgia, they’re also hoping to flip GOP-held seats in states like Maine, which Trump lost, and North Carolina, which he won by about three points. They’re also eyeing double-digit Trump states like Texas and Iowa as potential flips if the national environment is more favorable to them.
Senator Jon Ossoff (left) speaks during a Senate Judiciary hearing on September 13, 2022, in Washington. Representative Mike Collins speaks during a press conference in Washington on January 9, 2025.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Jon Cherry/Getty Images
What To Know
Collins, a second-term Republican congressman, gave an update about whether he plans to run for Senate on Tuesday. In a video posted to Instagram, Collins said that Ossoff “must go” and does not “represent the vast majority of Georgians,” but that he had “never” planned to run for Senate.
“I also understand that sometimes you don’t do what you want to do, but what you need to do. So many of you asked me to take a look at this and we are because I respect your feedback and frankly your encouragement,” he said.
Early polls of the race suggest show Ossoff with an advantage over Collins if he becomes the nominee—but the race is still more than a year away.
A Cygnal poll released in May showed Ossoff with a two-point lead over Collins, winning 45.7 percent of the vote compared to the Republican’s 43.3 percent. Eleven percent remained undecided. That poll surveyed 800 general election voters from May 15 to May 17 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.41 percentage points.
A Trafalgar poll found similar results—Ossoff led with 47.5 percent of the vote, compared to Collins’ 42.8 percent. That poll surveyed 1,426 likely voters from April 24 to April 27, 2025 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.
A WPA Intelligence for the Club poll, first reported by Politico, showed Ossoff with a more significant 10-point lead over Collins. It polled 500 likely voters in mid-January and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
Georgia’s political leaning means most mainstream Republicans like Collins would be viable candidates, Joshua Kennedy, professor of political science at Georgia Southern University, told Newsweek.
“Collins’ intense devotion to President Trump and the MAGA movement will be a boon to him should he decide to run, depending on who all chooses to get into the race, but if midterm trends hold, it might present some challenges at winning over moderate voters in the race against Senator Ossoff,” he said.
Trump will likely be a major focus of the midterms for Ossoff and Collins. While Ossoff is likely to highlight the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which polls show is unpopular with many voters, Collins is likely to focus on immigration and taxes, Kennedy said.
Ossoff has some early advantage as the incumbent because of high statewide name recognition and that midterms typically favor the party out of power, Kennedy said.
“Georgia has become a far more competitive state in the last several years, and Senator Ossoff’s reputation for effectiveness will likely serve him well,” Kennedy said. “He is certainly not invincible electorally, because while Georgia is more competitive, it still has a rightward tilt. But a tilt may not be enough in a midterm election to unseat him—Georgia is not Alabama.”
Republican Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, seen as the strongest potential GOP contender, announced earlier this year he will not enter the race. Without Kemp, attention quickly turned to other Republican figures, including Collins. Representative Buddy Carter and Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King are already running in the GOP primary.
What People Are Saying
Republican Representative Mike Collins, in the Tuesday video: “We deserve to have two U.S. Senators who are out there fighting for us and protecting us, not some woke overloads or some far-left wing California donor base.”
Devon Cruz, Democratic Party of Georgia senior communications adviser, in a statement to Newsweek: “Immediately after voting to rip away health insurance from 750,000 Georgians, Rep. Mike Collins now wants Georgians to give him a promotion? Collins would join a crowded, messy primary that will leave the GOP nominee badly bruised, while Senator Jon Ossoff is building massive momentum to take on whichever Donald Trump loyalist limps over the finish line.”
What Happens Next
Candidates may still jump in over the coming months, and more polling could come out and indicate how competitive the race may become. The Cook Political Report currently rates Georgia as a toss-up for 2026.
Update 7/9/25, 4:40 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.